Fairway

Has anyone completed a Fairway shop? You need to visit nine departments and evaluate a cashier, initial employee front end greeting, and the restroom. This seems like a lot of work for the never changing $15 fee. I have completed other shops that were produce, bakery, seafood, meat, general merchandise, deli, and cashier, and those seemed like a lot and made you look pretty obvious as a shopper.

Are these worth it?

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The problem I see with shops that raise or lower requirements at the same fee is whether the shop is worth it or not. The only way you can determine that for yourself is to do one of the new format. I have seen shops expand but the requirements at each step (in interactions and/or reporting) reduce so they are still worthwhile. I have seen shops reduce but the requirements at each step become unreasonable so they are not worthwhile. It is the same issue as when client X moves from one MSC to another. You need to try the 'new' shop and decide if it is worthwhile.

We all are concerned about being 'made' as a shopper. In reality there are 'chatty' people who go to a grocery store or department store not just to buy things they may need, but also for interactions with other humans. We are no longer a society where folks sit on their porches on a summer evening and visit with friends and neighbors who were out walking the dog or taking an evening stroll. We no longer routinely knock on each other's door to 'borrow a cup of sugar' and end up staying to visit for an hour or so over coffee. The likelihood of being 'made' as a shopper increases with required verbiage questions and being in too much of a rush to disengage from the interaction and sprint away.

This is going from department to department and asking questions and not buying anything, it just seems strange. The other supermarket shop is with another MSC, for a different supermarket. I think the interactions with the other MSC are a bit much, but for the $15, I will do it, since we will often do a few of these and we can stock up on non-perishables. The Fairway shop seems too much though.

It is dumb to make no purchase after strolling a whole store. That does raise more questions and scrutiny as there is likely to be an examination of footage to see if they can catch you shoplifting. If at all feasible I would make some purchase and have my purse wide open at the register as I looked for payment, plus I would not pick up and examine anything in the store that was small enough to be swiped. What I was buying I would put in the basket while my purse remained on the child seat or on my shoulder by its strap. You don't want to be stopped by store security because they found your behavior suspicious.

Thanks. I didn't even think of that. We just completed an ice cream shop for the same MSC that paid the same and took a few minutes. They wanted over $5 for one scoop of ice cream, which is their "kiddie size." So, $10 after the required purchase. I will stay with the ice cream shops!

We live and learn on shops. I must admit I have overspent on an ice cream shop, paying an exorbitant amount that I never would have spent except for it being a requirement of the shop. At the same time it exposed me to an incredible product that I now am always on the watch for coupons to return and purchase at a reasonable price.

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Fairway

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